Pope MSM IV

Noting that Sunday was the world day of social communications, the pope praised the media for what he called the "extraordinary" coverage of the death and funeral of John Paul. "But everything depends on the way it (the media) is used," he said.

"These important tools of communication can favor reciprocal knowledge and dialogue, or on the contrary, they can fuel prejudice and disdain between individuals and peoples; they can contribute to spreading peace or fomenting violence."

As a result, Benedict called for members of the media to exercise "personal responsibility" to ensure objective reports that respect human dignity and pay attention to the common good.

Is anybody else here marginally confused? What exactly is Benedict XVI calling for, the resurgence of praise and excitement in lieu of scruitiny that surrounded the death of John Paul II and effectively led to more PR for the "biggest event in Catholic history" than they could ever purchase? Or is he asking that the MSM handle the sex-abuse pandemic in the Catholic church by showing "both sides:" for every mention of the memos Benedict XVI sent out calling for secrecy and protection of pastors there is also have a story featuring a pastor who claims "It wasn't my fault, the boys were asking for it!"

The problem with this call to objectivity is that it simply does not exist: Benedict XVI seems to have missed the era of media corporatism that has removed any and all objectivity. The MSM will report whatever story has the most weight and value to them and to them alone. The MSM relies on the conflict that the Pope seems to believe they shouldn't cover: in fact, it could be said that part of the reason the MSM reports constant negative sensationalist stories is for the preservation of them: they'd be out of jobs otherwise. As despicable as it is, it is also the natural order of the "media."

So what can we assume the Pope is calling for? It seems to be a direct parallel to conservatives' rallying call for equalization of the "Liberal Media." That is to say: the media seems to be serving its own interests, rather than the interests of the institutional bodies. The Pope, then, seems to be aggressively seeking out a more active "new media" outlet of ideology, exactly as the conservatives have been. Thank the media for the massive coverage they've already given to your cause [Terri Shiavo! Dead Pope!]; criticize the media of unobjective coverage [RatherGate! Pedophilia!]; and engage in a cycle of manipulative coverage to inject your ideology upon the global cultural sphere.

For more on how the American Evangelicals have attempted this feat, see Media Matters.